go!"

It was not much of a breakfast that the Khaki Boys had, but it was
better than nothing. They managed to make a fire in the stove and
boiled some coffee they found in a cupboard.

"Best meal I've had in a week!" exclaimed Bob with a grateful sigh, as
he finished his cup of hot liquid. "Now I'm ready to meet Kaiser Bill
himself!"

They packed up what food remained, filled their canteen from a little
stream not far from the cottage, and then, bidding a silent farewell
to the dead Frenchman, they started off once more.

The country through which the five Brothers traveled seemed as
deserted as that over which they had journeyed the previous day after
their rescue from the old mill. But the evidences of war were more
frequent in destroyed orchards, ruined farmhouses and, here and
there, immense holes in the ground where great shells had struck and
exploded.

"What's your trouble, Jimmy!" asked Bob, clapping his chum on the
shoulder, as they trudged down a road. "You look as though you hadn't
heard from your girl in Buffalo in a month of Sundays."

"Neither I have," said Jimmy. "But I wasn't exactly thinking of
Margaret then, though I have given her a lot of thought at different
times. I'm just wondering--"

"'Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag, and smile, smile,
smile!'" sang Bob.

"Good advice," commented Jimmy. "My troubles aren't any more serious
than those of anyone else in this war. But I was just wondering if
that officer told us the truth"

"What officer?" asked Roger.

"The one who called himself Captain Dickerson, and who saved our lives
at the red mill?" answered Jimmy. "I can't get over his not coming
with us to show us the way to the American lines. I believe he ought
to have done it!" and Jimmy spoke very determinedly.

"He certainly would have if he had had any consideration for
Iggy's pet corn!" laughed Bob. "We don't seem to be having any luck
ourselves. It wouldn't have hurt him to have taken command of this
squad of rookies and led us back to civilization."

"Civilization! I hope you don't call the trenches with their big rats
and cooties and--er--other things--civilization!" cried Jimmy. "If it
is--give me barbarism."

"Well, I didn't just mean that," went on Bob. "But I wish Captain
Dickerson had come back with us."

"Maybe he had orders to proceed elsewhere," suggested Franz.

"If he had he was on a dangerous mission," said Jimmy simply. "He went
straight toward the Ger